A U.S.-based group that operates a clergy sex abuse database has accused Pope Francis of remaining silent on clergy sex abuse during his time as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The group BishopAccountability.org published Wednesday morning what it has called the first comprehensive analysis of Francis’ abuse track record while he was Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio. The documents span the 15 years (1998-2013) he served as the head of the Buenos Aires church, as well as his time as president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference (2005-2011) and includes information on 42 accused Argentine clerics.

Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishiopAccountability.org, said during his first year as pope, Francis has repeatedly attacked corruption in the church’s finances but has “basically ignored” the abuse scandal.

“Does Francis have the will to resolve this catastrophic problem?” Doyle said in a press release, pointing to Francis’ March 5 comments to an Italian newspaper that the church “is the only one to be attacked” despite the prevalence of child sexual abuse in other institutions.

“Studying his record as archbishop will help us better understand his underlying approach,” she said.

The documents’ release comes just one day before the one-year anniversary of the start of Francis’ pontificate. In the last week, critics have begun to raise further questions of his response to clergy sex abuse after the comments he made last week.

“The statistics of the phenomenon of violence against children are staggering, but show clearly that the vast majority of abuse happens in the family setting and neighborhood,” Francis said in the interview.

“The Catholic church is maybe the only public institution to have moved with transparency and responsibility,” he said. “No one else has done more. Yet the church is the only one to be attacked.”

The timeframe of the documents coincides with a period when clergy sex abuse crises raged in other parts of the world. For the most part, it shows a mostly silent Argentine church, BishopAccountability.org said.

“[Bergoglio] released no documents, no names of accused priests, no tallies of accused priests, no policy for handling abuse, not even an apology to victims,” BishopAccountability.org said on its website.

The group said four victims of four known offenders sought Bergoglio’s assistance but received none. That includes the parents of five girls allegedly sexually assaulted by a pastor in a neighboring diocese’s community soup kitchen, 25 miles from the Buenos Aires archdiocese.

The documents highlight the pope’s role in five abuse cases and alleges that in four of them, he either “knowingly or unwittingly” slowed victims in pursuing their alleged abusers. The profiled priests are Fr. Julio César Grassi, Fr. Rubén Pardo, Marianist Br. Fernando Enrique Picciochi, Fr. Mario Napoleon Sasso, and Fr. Carlos Maria Gauna.

In the case of Grassi, BishopAccountability.org said the documents show Bergoglio commissioned a secret study to persuade Argentine Supreme Court justices that the priest was innocent, despite a 2009 conviction of molesting a boy.

The research group provides links to Argentine news accounts referring to the so-called secret report by Bergoglio, but not to the alleged report itself.*

Additionally, only one of the five priests detailed in the research group’s reporting — Guana — was a priest of Bergoglio’s Buenos Aires archdiocese. The other four priests were members of other Argentine dioceses and Bergoglio would thus not have been their supervisor.

Bergoglio’s apparent silence echoes a larger pattern in the South American coastal country, BishopAccountability.org said, calling Argentine bishops “among the least transparent in the worldwide church.” It said the Argentine bishops’ conference has yet to publish its abuse-response policy, which was due in Rome in May 2012, and questioned their reported cases of alleged abusers.

[Brian Roewe is an NCR staff writer. Follow him on Twitter: @BrianRoewe. ]

how much longer before people wake to the fact that the priests on up have been acting CARTE BLANCHE in those poor and oppressed towns and villages … using and abusing women and children?

those unwell know just WHERE to go to get what they want … to satisfy their greed … and their sicknesses

the child porn is a favorite of the RC bishops, haven’t you heard? think we are wrong on this? watch what comes

and if silk cannot see the dangers of THE LIES AND THE LURING IN FAMILIES TO A SICK AND DISEASED INSTITUTION … because he and his courtship with rome is more important than the SAFETY OF THOSE KIDS, THEIR MOMS and even their dads … he will be dead in the water

Greg1 August 14, 2015 at 4:41 am
I like the statement: “the former partner of the girl’s mother is accused of the rape.” So we go from the headlines of “Rape victim,” and quickly find out that the girl was in a relationship, but that she was underage. Boy, how deceiving that is. As usual, those who play with fire get burned. And to switch gears, actually, it is likely that Mary herself was very young when she was “betrothed” to Joseph, and had Jesus. So we need to read stories like these with scrutiny. And … it seems as though Paraguay is one of the few remaining countries that is Pro-Life, and not Anti-Life.

———–

nothing like blaming the victim, eh–mark? oh, but wait … you could care less about the victims, or the MOMs … under your savior’s salvation rhetoric

Christianity, particularly Roman Catholicism, is the dominant religion in Paraguay. According to the 2002 census, 89.9% of the population is Catholic, 6.2% is Evangelical Protestant, 1.1% identify with other Christian sects, and 0.6% practice indigenous religions. A U.S. State Department report on Religious Freedom names Roman Catholicism, evangelical Protestantism, mainline Protestantism, Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform), Mormonism, and the Baha’i Faith as prominent religious groups. It also mentions a large Muslim community in Alto Paraná (as a result of Middle-Eastern immigration, especially from Lebanon) and a prominent Mennonite community in Boquerón.[47] wiki

DOES ANYONE FIND THIS HORRIBLY UNETHICAL? THE MINDSET OF THESE PATRIARCHAL BASTARDS FORCING THEMSELVES ON CHILDREN? FORCING THEIR VIEWS IN … what nation are they now trying to reclaim with their blasphemy? … oh, the United States of America … of course with PROFESSOR mark silk’s undeniable loyalty to pope fran … despite the careless feeding

when will Jorge stand trial in that TRIBUNAL … for his behavior regarding the clergy/staff child sex abuse in ARGENTINA

and SINCE WHEN DOES CONGRESS ALLOW THIS CONDUCT TO REMAIN UNQUESTIONED BEFORE INVITING DISHONESTY AND UNETHICAL CONDUCT—CRIMINAL CONDUCT—INTO THEIR OFFICES TO BE TOLD WHAT THEY SHOULD AND SHOULD NOT DO …

???

we think congress looking quite dim-minded … quite disrespectful to the people they claim to serve and … DANGEROUS!

what silk and others do not see—cannot understand … for all that “looking to the POOR pope for answers” is …

what GOOD is addressing climate change if they can’t hear for their poor parenting? where RELIGION demands that they remain poor? especially the female? the children are oppressed—silenced, along with their gifts

you who support this regime are whore-mongering hypocrites sitting in your academic thrones of deceit —pope frannie has no power and cannot change a darn thing …

the roman catholic church headed by an infidel intrinsically biased and sexist operation … made not by GOD but by man for man’s self-serving purposes, rooted in war and abuse of minors … needs the poor to survive …

Larry August 14, 2015 at 8:28 am
Holy crap! Its bad enough he completely misread the facts of the article, but then makes a case that an 11 year old is capable of consenting to sexual relations. How much of a fanatical fool does none have to be where one can write such things with a straight face to support a position?

——–

larry, in this you begin to understand the mindset of the roman catholic view of the clergy/staff child sex abuse … to those who did/do nothing, look away, or even deny it is abusive … rape …

and why there is such effort to smokescreen the serial abuse … to hide its culture …

they are inflicted with the mentality of denial that this is a serious offense … their minds cannot understand the criminal nature of these … they are incapable of UNDERSTANDING on this—that it is bad-very bad, and DESTROYS LIVES (so much for their anti abortion stance)

HYPOCRISY—-DENIAL

now, ask yourself if this culture is a disease … where else have they been in error on the WRITINGS?

RE: raped 10-yr-old in paraguay forced to give birth … and other cases like this

Dominic August 14, 2015 at 6:08 pm
This type of incident is rare, and the Catholic Church should not be vilified for its ban on contraception or abortion because of this. The problem is the family this poor child lives in. A human life being created even under egregious circumstances is still a human life. Contraception will not stop the rapes, nor will abortion erase the tragedy….so Catholicism has nothing to be blamed for here.

oh yes, dominic … the catholic church WILL BE VILIFIED in this!

We have warned … and warned …

the mindset of these practitioners in league with the ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH will be held accountable for this—–AS ABUSE. yes, once mankind realizes the delusion of this mindset—the ignorance and lack of empathy in these cases … there will be an immense outcry (surprised as hell it isn’t happening already!)

a “child” RAPED having to endure the experience of birth—A FORCED BIRTH is NOT good, dominic. you are of willful ignorance as is all those in favor of this. what drives you to such fanaticism is for the peacekeepers to decide—good luck with that!

a child should not be forced to endure this.

man do not IMPOSE your ignorant, unapologetic, pathetic, lethargic mindset on these children. WE WILL KICK YOUR POOR ASS TO PLUTO IF YOU DON’T WAKE UP!

CATHOLIC BEWARE … the call for your voice of reason is now upon you—WHAT SAY YOU? or will you continue in DARKNESS on these matters—allowing your whore-mongering methodologies to carry you to that bed of nothingness!

YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY HERE—DO SOMETHING!!! You continue to support and pay into this, you are guilty of the abuse. period. the world will VILIFY YOU, along with that ass-backward theology of yours.

Spirit of the Unborn finds new life. This does not mean there should be carelessness. This is a call to UNDERSTANDING!

what comes will find you guilty of crimes against humanity! and where will you be? you cannot continue to hide behind those damned robes, nor can you hide in the pews or behind the name: the roman catholic church … because WHAT IS COMING IS GOING TO CHARGE YOU AS MURDEROUS AND ABUSIVE

no longer will you be seen as having any CHRISTIAN worth and no longer will you be seen as a voice of sense and reason if you continue in this WILLFUL IGNORANCE

you better choose, catholic … and you better be swift

AND POLITICIANS-LAW MAKERS … YOU ARE IN FOR A HELL LIKE YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN—you dogmatic bastards!

and what these staunch catholic deniers don’t understand is how a stressed ‘child”s emotional state affects all aspects of her and that UNBORN CHILD. and where this is a disguised ‘genetic’ incidence of depravity and strain …

they do not consider the health and well being of the baby …

pop -em out … toss them into the cities and towns to fend for themselves … the unwanted child born in a state (ENVIRONMENT) of stress along with the expanded risk for the child moms or even the unprotected moms is a sinister plight

GET OVER YOURSELVES WHORE-MONGERERS and wake from your own depravities!

heck, i cannot even kill a bug in my house but take it outside so it is not that i care nothing for the unborn … WE CARE FOR THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF ALL

SPIRIT OF THE UNBORN FINDS NEW LIFE AS GOD IS NOT PARTIAL (no respecter of persons, including staunch anti-abortionists and PP … and would NEVER leave unwanted “child” unwatered … unwatered, yes … every LIVING being is given choice … it is MAN who chose poorly for what he views as HIS property

would we ever hear a peep from the roman catholic pontiff on these cases of rape and abuse of 10-11-12 year-old girls in that predominately ROMAN CATHOLIC country? any care or concern for these young girls?

no

the vatican does not want to lose CONTROL in these countries and they hate having lost control in other countries and they FEAR looking WRONG … as their supporters lie their way to whatever it takes to get themselves into a position of credible status … but look at their members?

take a good hard look at WHAT they represent within those insidious robes of hierarchal malady

In July, Pope Francis spent three days in Paraguay. He met with officials, toured a slum outside Asuncion and celebrated two Masses. While activists had hoped to bring up the case of the pregnant girl, Francis did not speak about it or focus on abortion in any of his speeches.

I was truly interested in this until I read they brew beer … it’s repeating past errors … dependency on something … if not doctrine then drugs

how is beer any different from their poison pill? both create an illusion of NOT being responsible for acts … should things go awry (or not work as advertised)

heck, the front porch of our house was totaled by a former RC priest after a night of drinking with the boys … don’t know if it was monk made brew but we tend to just say no … have seen too many deaths and poor parenting from drinking—even that social—luring in drink 😉

your choice, but the NEW ORDER OF THE FAITH (not a religion) does not indulge in substances that have the potential to cause damage to self and to neighbor

now that i think about this friar’s club … it is clear what it’s intent is

they sing because they can—it serves their agendas … the beer is an advertisement for the men

hey, guys … weary of your wives? weary of the dating scene—the children … having to pay taxes … housing and food … come on in … we’ll get you that quickie annulment (maybe even online these days!) … no matter if you can’t sing … you can brew beer and feed it to the people

this is the first I am looking at this … did not read the article only the comments to the article

let’s say that a bar owner refuses beer to a customer because he fears the customer may cause harm to him or his family or his neighbor
1. maybe the customer is already intoxicated and he fears another drink acts like a loaded gun
2. he fears it will come back on him and cause him to loose his job/business should he sell to that customer the drink and the customer causes harm to another from having that drink given to him by the bar owner

questions for the bartender come into play should the customer drink and do something criminal or dangerous

like we shared earlier … “discrimination” really has no meaning anymore

churches galore have been guilty of DENYING “customers” based on gender and choices for centuries regardless of the governing laws of the state and the tax exemption and perks received through … those paying taxes

The island’s dissidents weren’t invited, and the pontiff who helped usher in the new relations might have been expected to side with Cuba’s persecuted faithful. But when asked about Cuba’s spotty record, Francis demurred. “I would say that in many countries of the world, human rights are not respected,” he said during a July in-flight news conference. “Religious liberty is not a reality in the entire world; there are many countries that do not allow it.”

😀

in many countries human rights not respected?

religious liberty? hmm … pope, didn’t you USHER in the mindset for this disrespect? seriously, pope … you are ingrained in patriarchal matrimony without a clue as to its ownership

Greg1 August 14, 2015 at 12:41 pm
Francis is correct: the Catholic Church only asks that countries allow her to feed the Faithful. And since Cuba is loosening up in that regard, it is a victory for the Church. Here, however, in the USA we are becoming more and more restrictive.

Betty Clermont August 15, 2015 at 3:01 am
This article is wrong on several accounts. Kerry met with dissidents and human rights activists at another flag-raising, this one closed to press at the residence of the U.S. chief of mission, along with a broad cross section of Cuban entrepreneurs, journalists and artists. Compare this with this past 4th of July at a celebration hosted by the head of the US Interests Section in Havana. Officials from the U.S. and accredited diplomats were in attendance. When two members of the opposition to Castro approached Havana Cardinal Jaime Ortega to deliver a list of 51 political prisoners compiled by the Forum for Rights and Liberties, the cardinal claimed that there were no political prisoners on the island and that “the information all of you [the opposition] receive comes from ‘worm-infested’ Miami.”
Bergoglio cooperated with the junta. See Mignone’s 1986 book “The Church and the Dictatorship.” You have to read what people wrote BEFORE Bergoglio became pope.

Perpetrators are not the only ones who shame victims. Anyone who ignores, disbelieves, or even minimizes the voices of survivors must take responsibility for shaming these brave souls into dark and desolate cells of silence. A shame that still brings tears to the eyes of my friend decades after being raped by a priest and told that it was all part of “God’s plan”. A shame that keeps so many precious survivors locked away in silence. The truth about shame is that victims who get shamed have nothing to be ashamed of, and that those who shame have everything to be ashamed of. Sadly, this truth so seldom reaches those who most need to hear it.

did you miss this part, silk, in your academic studies for teaching the youth?

Voice of Reason Aug 14, 2015 at 1:33 pm
since when did anyone in america care what was morally acceptable? morality isn’t a ‘thing’ – perhaps the question should be ‘do you find it socially acceptable.’

Greg1 August 14, 2015 at 5:15 pm
I have heard from many Catholic priests, that oftentimes members of the Church will go to psychiatrists, and psychologists, in endless sessions, all to no avail. Then they go to the Sacrament of Confession, and all is healed in the span of 10 minutes. The difference, of course, is the priest has the authority before God to loose Christians of their sins (John 20:23). What many do not realize is that sin weighs a person down, leading them to despair. However, God, in the forgiveness of sins, renews the soul, and frees the person from the clutches of evil. That renews a person, and brings his/her soul back to the state of grace, so the Holy Spirit can operate freely in that person. A soul cluttered with sin, is a divine blockage, and prohibits God from giving him/her the help he/she needs.

the priest has no such authority

GOD SHOWS NO PARTIALITY, greg1 … why would he gift your ROME’S priests and no one else?

lies—all lies

to give your vocational priests the power to absolve sins—heal through your fast food communion? no, that would put all others at a disadvantage and why would God do that? God would not do that. Period. You and your members misunderstood the Writings, and took what you wanted and made up a lot of stuff to place yourselves above others, to demean and deny others … and it was done to control the masses.

also, where is the healing greg1? if your priests were so endowed with this gift that ONLY rome can provide … why did so many leave your institution? why did you lose members if your vocational priests are so special and can do as you say?
because they can’t and they don’t … and GOD IS NO RESPECTER OF ROMAN CATHOLIC PRIESTS— 😀

and your priests are married to a man—the pope— and these are not the Christ—never.

so shush with your errant doctrine because you have no explanations regarding your sexually abusive priests which are many … do they have such authority? all those many years of raping and molesting children? how many sacraments are no good, religionist? no darn good because your priests are not well … sick, to be honest …

and … you wouldn’t know which ones are not celibate … having sex with brothers and which ones aren’t and according to your doctrine, being a homosexual is intrinsically evil, and what of those having affairs with women … seminarians … greg1 … who is and who isn’t? you don’t know and would not know … even which priests are stealing money and selling porn— the list is endless … so, no greg1, time to grow up—wake from your insulated slumber—your darkness … there is no way your priests have any such authority from the Holy Spirit.

they say they believe in God, even God is Spirit … then parade self as the mouthpiece of {this} through various means, bullying, denying … ostracizing … demanding obedience … setting self up in lavish houses, acting as jury and judge … controlling great numbers through use of force and doctrine as law—governing politically to keep the people within its mandates … without respect, without God (LOVE), without knowledge and understanding because they did not FOLLOW Jesus in the TEACHINGS of the Word (the Writings) … having denied, tortured, silenced, even murdered people refusing those mandates and those forced laws, acting like the talons of a bird of prey … and there’s the use of the women and children … the sodomy of boys as if rome never learned anything from the wrongness of this … but where evil is permitted to overpower the people and hide its cultish ways … the infections grow diseased … and spread through the ranks … finding itself in avarice beyond man’s ability to stem …

the attitude that prevailed throughout was ‘we are the one true church—God’s church’ as it hoarded for itself—building and building and building for recruitment primarily … idols galore—worshipping of these men and ‘things’ as if these can be blessed to some magical place of awareness …
no sense in these, but not trivial in light of their storehouses when Jesus said not to take anything with you … they went against the Teachings and the charities too often served a fanaticism … and now, the populist pope … being used as a political puppet to try to return to the old way … their overwhelming control, some form of cultish credibility in a world splitting at the seams …

God’s Time is not man’s. if God sees that this one or that one needs chastising, or that something must be cut away due to its barren fruit and its diseases … it will be removed … people who think that the evil of long ago no longer plays its hand in the current regime is mind numb and delusional … evil is far more clever and delirious that man can ever know …
all those years of abuse have come to A HEAD … it is now time for the CHASTISING … and the removal. “what you believe may BE what you receive”

catholic beware … the time is now for your stand—rise up from that mat and walk

if man is willfully ignorant and refuses what he knows is the more decent … but his lusts control his appetite … God does turn away … “I never knew you—depart from me you of lawless ways!”

PROPHESY … it was told to us in the OLD … did you not hear its Verse?

as you refused this … where is your protection? man? you chose man and his doctrine and so it shall be through man that you must find your protection. but who can you trust? who is wise in numbers … ? you refused the Spirit of Living for the wiles of man within your religiondom and so, it shall be … you will get back what you put out and if you buried your talent … it has been given to another.

balance must be … in a constant foraging … but you are in a love affair with man’s carriages …

you see, folks, you behave as a drunk scavenging in the cup-boards of the old for his wine

but that wine expired long ago

one cannot put new wine in the old man when he is used to …. what?

9When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom, 10and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.

The clinic is one of five abortion providers in Alabama, but performed about 40 percent of the state’s abortions in 2013, according to court records. It is also one of two clinics that provide abortions in the middle of the second trimester.

The clinic complied with the regulation for years, but said it was unable to meet the requirement after its longtime doctor retired.

As the city of Baltimore is shaken by riots in the wake of peaceful protests over the death of Freddie Gray, observers have had cause to reflect on the relationship between nonviolent and violent demonstration. In particular, one quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., has become a touchstone for those who seek to understand why those individuals have taken to the streets: “A riot,” King said, “is the language of the unheard.”

The quote is often traced to 1968, but it was actually a frequent rhetorical turn for King, appearing years earlier than that. In 1966, for example, in a Sept. 27 interview, King was questioned by CBS’ Mike Wallace about the “increasingly vocal minority” who disagreed with his devotion to non-violence as a tactic. In that interview, King admitted there was such a minority, though he said that surveys had shown most black Americans were on his side. “And I contend that the cry of ‘black power’ is, at bottom, a reaction to the reluctance of white power to make the kind of changes necessary to make justice a reality for the Negro,” King said. “I think that we’ve got to see that a riot is the language of the unheard. And, what is it that America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the economic plight of the Negro poor has worsened over the last few years.”

there needs to be proper parenting … and if they can receive a group like The United Independent Party to do the nitty gritty work of finding out information and presenting it fairly to the people to help them decide for their families … this would be good
and the “unheard” moves into the “haves” rather than the “have nots” … without rioting, or other forms of violence … but it does require the families to change their ways and move to improve —it requires a partnership of growth

trump,
just read an article on the expanding slums in latin america … right after reading an article about how millennials in the US are having to wait to buy a home-even start a family, because they are unsettled in their careers and not making enough to support the increasing costs … including the rise in rent … and needing parents to help with down payments when they do decide to buy …

how a continued explosion of immigrants fits into this needs to be seriously looked into, and not used as a voting promise (either or)

an expert on environmental concerns said (in brief):
1. have less children (1 or 2/adopt)
2. don’t eat meat
3. conserve water and …
4. and, of course, do all you can to protect the land and water (lifestyle) and your neighbors …

i am still expending my gardens for the birds and bees and other wildlife (including chubby chuck who has a rather expansive estate of three neighborhood properties 😉 , but I think he hides under our porch at night during the summer) … still collecting rain water to water the plants … even though in NE there has not been a shortage of rainfall … do not eat meat, poultry and only a little fish … NEVER use pesticides …

so, trump … there is more to AMERICAS land of opportunity that needs attention—yes? and if candidates and RELIGIONISTS speak on CLIMATE/ENVIRONMENTAL concerns … they better be be prepared to address THEIR OWN PROPERTIES (including latin america and … )

note: as plants increase in size and overwhelm an area … transplanting and dividing them is a great idea … laborious … but keeps you in shape … and is resourceful (no waste unless you have an area for composting)

*also take care where you buy plants/flowers … am hearing there are PESTICIDES USED TO GROW THESE

DEMAND SAFE, people … for you and the children and pets/wildlife … land and water

In 1917 Alexander Graham Bell wrote “[The unchecked burning of fossil fuels] would have a sort of greenhouse effect”, and “The net result is the greenhouse becomes a sort of hot-house.”[14][15] Bell went on to also advocate the use of alternate energy sources, such as solar energy.[16] wiki

are labour parties concerned about climate/environment concerns
would a SOCIALIST REGIME be a good candidate for nations desiring closer scrutiny of government-business-religion-politics advocating in areas DANGEROUS to the anthropogenic concerns?

citizens need to move away from log jamming and enter into these areas on constructive reasoning

rns … can you address RELIGION more broadly, please … RELIGION is more than the chuckie cheese melodramas

good for this young man … taking his own tough experiences and turning the table … i tear up just thinking about this
now, think here, religionists-atheists … buddhism proved a launching point but not a cage

now … take care, sir, that people don’t flood in to do their “good deeds” … and TAKE ADVANTAGE in the process …

you need the eye of a needle sometimes to field these streams, beloved

Bernardo August 17, 2015 at 6:59 pm
Keeping in mind that most of the OT was the invention of some very innovative Jewish scribes as was the NT the embellishment and “mythicizing” of the life of one, long dead Jewish carpenter/peasant man of magic by P, M, M, L, and J a new wave of Jewish scribes if you will

Tom Downs August 17, 2015 at 7:47 pm
Back to political correctness. As the author describes the university it reminds me of the monastic movement and its desire separate from the unholy/unhelpful influences of the World. It wasn’t a denial of the reality of those influences that drove them, but the desire to focus instead on those things that grew the human spirit in a godly direction. I wonder if this isn’t more than just a desire to protect the weak, but instead a way of improving humanity.

several yrs ago i wrote on the discussion forums of the monastic existence

not in league with religious affidavits … but as a well being of chronicles … of course, it was interring lightly as the moderators primarily wanted me off the threads 😀

but i did start a PHILOKALIA thread and said, in time, this will become busy …

“The 1st Amendment has a clause stating government shall not endorse religion.”

so, what happened on the BIG plans for this month beginning in PHILADELPHIA … the US GOVERNMENT does not honor their own Constitution? the Constitution of the United States—the same Constitution they swore oaths to protect and serve—along with the citizens of this, the same they expect citizens to honor and obey?

or does WASHINGTON get to pick which RELIGIOUS they endorse and spend taxpayers money on … regardless of the clause NOT TO ENDORSE RELIGION in their Constitution?

gee, I wonder if Obama and co. are prepared to go to jail for breaking the law.

the quote was taken from a comment board regarding the davies incident …

so … how should one interpret this in a language that serves the people in a fair and just manner?

is government permitted to elevate one religious figure over others, or spend mega amounts of tax payer dollars to host a minister of a religious sect? also allowing him to present sermons on public property, obstructing the rights and privileges of those not in agreement with his faith and beliefs and practices, especially if discriminated against and treated badly by him and his religious organization? has he paid for these venues or are these coming out of the taxpayer’s pockets?